Isola Pizza Bar — Restaurant in San Diego

A GREAT EXPERIENCE ! And what makes a great experience your might ask ? My wife and I parked our wheels not far from the restaurant at around 4pm on Sunday...a bit early for dinner but at present ( until covid restrictions relax further ) they are not opening until 2.30pm. Lovely Kristina the hostess smiled at us warmly as we entered the restaurant. As I said it was a bit early for dinner but there were a few patrons at the bar...happy hour perhaps ! We found a table against a wall towards the rear...probably where we usually sit as we have been here many times from day one. A sweet angel named Maria ( our server ) came to our table and said hi. We were the only diners in the entire restaurant at this point and we had a nice chat with Maria about how much we loved dining at Isola. Maria asked us which restaurant did we prefer.....this one or the original in Little Italy ( we have dined at both locations many times ) ? A very hard question to answer because they each have their own unique character ( vibe, ambience ) but the high standard of food, drinks and and service is identical. Glasses of cool water were brought to our table followed by complimentary fresh flatbread with olive oil / balsamic vinegar for dipping. I spotted Alonso the GM of Isola pizza Bars near the huge brick pizza oven and went over to say hi. In the meantime my drink order...a Harland Brewing Hazy IPA was delivered to our table. Alonso and us go way back to the Little Italy restaurant years ago when we first met. He always thanked me for my honest reviews ( all 5 stars of course ). My wife Sherri followed me over to say hi to Alonso. Back at our table I was enjoying my ice cold hazy IPA and the lovely fresh flatbread. We decided to order a Quattro Carni Pizza ( Fennel Sausage, Salame, Pancetta, Guanciale, Mozzarella, Tomato Sauce )...we have enjoyed this delicious pizza many times before. When we first entered the restaurant we passed by a guy with longish hair wearing a facial mask talking with diners on the outdoor patio. He looked suspiciously like Massimo the owner/head chef of Isola. And sure enough there he was standing beside Alonso near the pizza oven. I had to say hi and get a selfie. Our sensational looking Neapolitan thin crust pizza arrived at our table courtesy of Alonso himself. A steady stream of new diners were taking their places at various tables inside the restaurant... dining out and dining inside is back ! Our Quattro Carni Pizza tasted fabulous as usual ( consistency of food quality is so important at any eatery and Isola gets it right every time ). We said hi to friendly Jovan the bar manager ( who we have met a few times before ) as he walked by our table. We simply adore places who make us feel at home and that is why Isola will always be at the top of our list. My wife thought we could squeeze in some dessert so we asked Maria our server for some Budino ( Heaven in a Glass ). Of course it tasted decadently exquisite as always. And then we paid the bill and said goodbye to everybody....

BEST PIZZA IN SAN DIEGO ! It's hard to beat a great tasting Neapolitan wood-fired pizza and these guys deliver every time. In fact we have been to this location and the one in little Italy many times in the last 10 years or so....and they are NUMBER ONE for consistency. I made a dinner reservation on the Isola Pizza Bar website for 6pm on Saturday. My wife and I found a street parking spot a few doors from the restaurant and arrived at the hostess desk at 5.55pm. We were seated at a table about half way back against the wall. I noticed Alonso the long time GM of Isola Pizza Bar near the Italian pizza oven so I went over to have a chat. Alonso said things are going really great ! I headed back to join my wife at our table. A server named Danielle came by to look after us. Our usual order here would be a split of pizza / pasta. We chose 1 x SPECK E FUNGHI PIZZA ( speck prosciutto, mushrooms, fresh basil, parmigiano ) and 1 x NERO DI SEPPIA ( squid ink spaghetti chitara, white wine, garlic, shrimp, saffron, cherry tomatoes, touch of cream, red pepper flakes ). I also ordered a Harland Brewing Hazy IPA...it's a pretty good drop. Iced waters came out pretty swiftly followed by my ice cold hazy IPA. The outdoor patio was packed out and the indoor dining space was filling up quickly. NICE VIBE and it's always beautifully presented...little party lights along the wall....pretty flowers on each table. My ice cold hazy IPA hit the spot perfectly. A charming food runner named Eduarda delivered our dinner order to our table. I caught the eye of Alonso who came by with fresh grated parmigiana and showered our scrumptious looking pizza...plus he brought some chili flakes for me. We struck up a friendly conversation with a couple at the next table.....Dave and Brenda who told us they are Isola regulars. My wife and I agreed the pizza was cooked perfectly.....soft chewy crust and fresh delicious toppings. The squid ink spaghetti with huge succulent shrimp tasted magical....all their pastas are made in house. We demolished about 75% of our dinner order...took some squid ink spaghetti home in a box. For dessert we kept it simple with a decaf AFFOGATO....a nice finish to a perfect evening. Before we left I caught up with Jovan the long time bar manager who we have known for years. GREAT PLACE, GREAT FOOD,...

THE BEST RESTAURANT IN LA JOLLA ! We had a wonderful time here last Friday evening celebrating my lovely wife's birthday. It was great to walk in around 5.30pm and be greeted by the staff who remembered us from our previous visits...that's why it feels like home when we dine here. Sweet Nadine greeted us at the front entrance and showed us to a nice table towards the rear of the restaurant. As we walked to our table Jacob the bar manager waved hi from behind the bar so I quickly checked what new craft beers he had on tap. Soon after we got comfortable in our seats our favorite server Waz came by to say hi and take our drinks order.I went with a Modern Times Blazing World...it's virtually an IPA but not ....and tall glasses of cold water of course. My wife is not a big appetizer fan but I was a bit peckish so I ordered some Steamed Mussels to kick the night off. For entrees my wife always loves the Ragu while this time I chose the Seafood Marinara......I love their Neapolitan thin crust pizzas so that was a real tough decision. My wife pinched some of the garlic toast on top of my Steamed Mussels while I devoured every single mussel in the bowl. At the perfect moment our entrees arrived and they both looked el perfecto ! My Seafood Marinara tasted incredible while my wife was simply devouring her delicious Ragu. Of course we can't celebrate my wife's birthday without a special dessert and Waz came to the rescue with an Affogato topped with a lighted candle. We shared of course and it tasted fabulous ! Alonso the general manager of Isola Pizza Bar restaurants stopped by to have a chat with us......he's a great guy. We had a perfect...